DREADLOCKS

A hairstyle that has survived through ages

IntroductionDreadlocks are thick locks of hair, formed by its natural matting together, a long process: they form when the hair has been left uncombed for several months.  Contrary to popular belief however, the cleaner the hair, the faster it locks.  There are other artificial ways of forming dreadlocks as well, which take much a much shorter time to actually look like dreadlocks, usually about 2-3 months. 

The first example of dreadlocks are reputed to be from ancient Egypt, where mummified remains of commoners and royalty alike wore dreadlocks and dreadlock-style wigs.  The ancient Mesoamericans, Indian holy leaders, Vikings, Celts, and Rastafari are all associated with dreadlocks. 

According to Roman accounts of the time, the Celts wore dreadlocks as well, describing them as having 'hair like snakes'."

 

How to Make Dreadlocks

 You will need:• Dread Wax• Residue Free Shampoo• Metal Comb• Rubberbands

I recommend the DreadHead Supa Dupa Dread Kit:It has everything you need and they guarantee your hair will dread.

1. Wash your hair with a residue free shampoo and let it air dry.2. Section your hair into sections that are 1 inch by 1 inch. You can use rubberbands to hold the sections while you section the rest of your hair.3. Start in the back of your head, remove the rubberbands and start teasing the hair towards your scalp. Only backcomb about a half inch of hair at a time, this will keep your dreads from forming loops.4. Once you have finished backcombing the that section of hair, put a rubberband on the tip and one on the root. Add about an M&M's worth of wax to the dreadlock and palm roll it.5. Do this to all the sections of hair.

This section explains how to create dreadlocks using the backcombing method.

What Do People Think Of Dreadlocks?    This survey was from a website called Survey Central.  82 people were asked what they thought of dreadlocks.  The most frequent reply was "to each their own", meaning most people didn't care if others had dreadlocks or not. 

Dreadlocks TimelineThis is the timeline of the dreadlocks belonging to Asborn from Flickr.com, a progression so far of 7 months.  They were created using the backcombing method.

Week 1

Week 4

Week 3

Week 7

Week 6

Month 3

Month 2

Month 6

Month 7

Dreadlocks in History

Biblical TimesAncient EgyptThe CeltsIndia South AmericaRastafari (Rastafari movement)

Samson3500-2000 BCE400-25 BCE(Holy men) presentpre-16th Century 1953-present

Name When/who

Dreadlocks in the Rastafari Movement  Rastafari associate dreadlocks with a spiritual journey that one takes in the process of locking their hair (growing dreadlocks). It is taught that patience is the key to growing dreadlocks, a journey of the mind, soul and spirituality. Its spiritual pattern is aligned with the Rastafari religion. People who do not understand the process sometimes mock the dreadlock style and make comments about the cleanliness of the locked hair. The way to form natural dreadlocks is to allow hair to grow in its natural pattern, without cutting, combing or brushing, but simply to wash it with pure water.

Works Cited

• http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3117/2603862562_42952ea135_o.jpg

•  http://www.howtodread.com/dreadlocks.html•  http://static.flickr.com/102/279460824_13a3c87474.jpg• http://www.important.ca/rastafari_dreadlocks.html • http://sensibleken.livejournal.com/29407.html#cutid1